Using magneto-Archimedes levitation for non-invasive characterization of injection molded parts

In a magneto-Archimedes levitation device, a three-dimensional (3D) injection molded part can be levitated with a posture that is closely related to its shape and internal defect. Here, a novel, non-invasive characterization method for 3D injection molded parts via magneto-Archimedes levitation is proposed. FLUENT-EDEM multiphase software was used to simulate the levitation process of the 3D part. Through the results of the EDEM software, the curves of the levitation height, equilibrium posture, and potential energy versus simulation time were obtained. The final levitation height and the equilibrium posture of the part were determined by the principle of minimum potential energy. Several experiments with various 3D parts and different internal defects were carried out to verify the proposed method. Experimental results showed that the proposed method had high accuracy in measuring equilibrium posture and levitation height. For defective parts with small voids (2 mm³), the maximum deviation between the calculated tilt angles and the experimental results was less than 4.7°. In general, the proposed method has the potential of broad application in the noninvasive characterization of injection molded parts.